Spence denied winner by late equaliser

WHEN Greig Spence left the Stark’s Park pitch in the 88th minute on Saturday he was certain he had scored the winning goal.

But the subbed Raith Rovers striker looked on helplessly as Partick Thistle grabbed an injury time equaliser to snatch a draw – and steal his thunder.

“I was quite happy coming off thinking I had scored the winner,” he told the Press.

“You know there are still a few minutes left to play, but I thought we could’ve held on.

“They’ve thrown everything at us, and we coped with it until the final kick of the ball.

“Losing a goal so late just deflates you – it’s probably worse than a defeat.”

Positives

Spence believes Rovers will eventually reflect on the positives from the game once the pain of losing a last-minute goal subsides.

“They’re unbeaten at the top of league, but we were within a whisker of beating them,” he said.

“After we scored we created enough chances to put the game to bed.

“I’ve had a chance with a header and I can’t believe the ‘keeper has got a hand to it.

“There were plenty positives but we probably won’t be able to appreciate them until it sinks in later in the week.”

Spence’s 65th minute opener, a bullet strike from the edge of the box, was his fourth goal of the season.

“I’ve hit it so fast that it was past the ‘keeper before he could throw his hand up,” Spence said.

“As a striker you want to score goals, but the main thing is the three points.

“I wouldn’t say I’m happy, because we didn’t win, but the goals are going in the right direction for me.”

After spending the early part of the season on the bench, an injury to Pat Clarke has given Spence his chance to shine.

And the 20-year-old hopes his scoring form will help him retain his place in the Raith starting 11.

“It was a frustrating start to the season waiting for my chance, but I’ve played in the last three games now, and I’m happy with how it’s gone,” he said.

“I think I’ve done well – but there’s a lot more to come from me.

“I’m getting my match fitness up and I feel ready to push on. I just have to keep working as hard as I can to stay in team.

“If I keep scoring it will make it harder for the gaffer to drop me.

“Double figures is always the target and that’s my aim for the season.”

Spence is now looking for Raith to build on their Partick performance when winless Dumbarton visit Kirkcaldy this Saturday.

“It’s a totally different game but we’ve got to go into it with the same attitude we showed against Partick,” he said. “We’ll look to get a good training week into us and see what happens on Saturday.”